Herrinfesta

Annual week-long festival recognizing the Italian heritage of the town of Herrin. This festival has nightly concerts, contests, parade and carnival.

CITY: Herrin

Annual Lights Fantastic Activities & Parade

Take pictures with Santa’s reindeer in Carbondale's Town Square, stop by the Polar Express Station (the Old Train Depot) for candy cane treats, and enjoy the Holiday Cookie Walk, where downtown businesses offer cookies and refreshments. The Lights Fantastic Parade kicks off at 6pm.

CITY: Carbondale

Cobden Peach Festival

Celebrate the local peach harvest, sponsored by the Cobden Lions Club. Join us for fresh peaches from local orchards, carnival rides and games, crowning of ‘Miss Peach Queen’, homemade food and peach cobbler & pie with a 5K run/walk and parade on Saturday. Free admission.

CITY: Cobden

Du Quoin Annual Holiday Lights Fair

Starting the day after Thanksgiving and continuing through the month of December. Come experience Du Quoin Tourism’s transformation of the Du Quoin State Fairgrounds into a magical place with lights and decorations. The event features a 1 1/2-mile drive through over $250,000 worth of lighted displays as well as decorated trees, entertainment, food, crafts and visits with Santa in the Expo Hall. The light trail opens nightly from 5:30 – 9:30 p.m., and the Expo Hall will be open on the second and third weekends in December from 5:30 — 9:30 p.m. The Expo Hall features Santa’s train ride and Santa’s Workshop.

CITY: Du Quoin

Carbondale Community Friday Night Fair

Enjoy some of the best of what Carbondale has to offer every Friday during the summer, when the arts & entertainment scene unites with local farmers and craftsmen to create a fun, family-friendly festival. Hosted in Carbondale's historic Town Square Pavillion, the fair includes kids activities, a farmer's market, craft vendors, live music and more, all free of charge.

CITY: Carbondale

Pepper Fest

Celebrate the pepper harvest, a favorite gathering for all chile heads and hot pepper fans. From 11am to 5pm, walk the pepper field and see many varieties of hot peppers in bloom, meet the vendors and see who makes the best hot/spicy food, visit the Pepper Farm Store and select your favorite salsa, jellies, spices and pepper products, relax, visit with friends, enjoy great local music and soak in great southern Illinois pepper heat.

CITY: Cobden

Southern Illinois Boat & Fishing Show

A weekend long event sponsored by the Youth Outdoor Education Foundation and the Williamson County Tourism Bureau. The show features boats, trailers, trucks, ATVs, fishing tackle, live entertainment and more. Admission and parking is free. Great fun for all ages.

CITY: Marion

Murphysboro Apple Festival

The Murphysboro Apple Festival is the oldest and largest, alcohol-free festival in southern Illinois. Over 45,000 people attend the festival each year. During the five days of the Apple Festival, there are numerous activities drawing large crowds such as evening stage shows, carnival/concessions, Queen Contest, Prince and Princess Contest, contests from apple pie eating to apple core throwing, firefighters' water fights, marching band competition, car shows, Appletime 5K Walk/Run and much more. In addition, the festival's Grand Parade is one of the largest parade in Southern Illinois. The parade features an average of about 160 total units, 25 of those marching bands, and a variety of groups and organizations.

CITY: Murphysboro

Brown Bag Concert Series

Grab a lawn chair, pick up lunch from a local eatery and head to the Town Square Pavillion for Carbondale Main Street's Brown Bag Concert! Every Wednesday local musicians come together to put on a free show in the heart of downtown Carbondale. Everyone is welcome, but the event emphasizes a family-friendly atmosphere.

CITY: Carbondale

Southern Illinois Music Festival

The 9th annual Southern Illinois Music Festival features over three-dozen performances in venues all over the Southern Illinois region. In addition to the New Chicago Chamber Orchestra, musicians from throughout North and South America, Europe and Asia perform orchestral music, chamber music, opera, ballet, and jazz in an informal and inviting atmosphere. This year’s Festival, titled “Swarm of B's,” runs June 3-23 and features some of our favorite composers that start with the letter "B"—Bach, Brahms, Barber, Bartok and Beethoven to name a few.

CITY: Carbondale

35th Annual Sunset Concert Series

The weekend begins on Thursday evening in Carbondale during the summer, as hundreds gather to attend the welcoming, relaxing and fun tradition that is the Sunset Concert series. Attendees bring everything from beer-pong tables and barbecue grills to pop-up tents and couches. The concerts rotate between two beautiful venues, with the more contemporary acts on the Steps of Shryock Auditorium and the mellower, more traditional bands playing under the Lenus Turley Park gazebo.

CITY: Carbondale

Street Machine Nationals

The grounds will swell with beautiful, high-performance street machines, hot rods and street trucks from across nation. Plus, witness the tuned-up Performance Marketplace for the latest aftermarket parts, burnout competition, dyno challenge, meet the editors of Car Craft, Miss Street Machine contest and more.

CITY: Du Quoin

Carbondale Rocks Revival

Musicians from all over the country come together for a weekend concert series spanning over 30 Carbondale venues. Whether you're into bluegrass, blues, country or hard rock, you're certain to find a concert to enjoy.

CITY: Carbondale